With the advent of smart phones equipped with faster data speeds, mobile applications have significantly displaced traditional laptops and desktops as the primary internet browsing access point for many consumers. According to the Pew Internet Project, nearly half (46%) of American adults are smartphone owners. A majority of adult cell owners (55%) now go online using their phones, and 17% of cell phone owners do most of their online browsing on their phone, rather than a computer or other device.
However, advertising through mobile applications has largely been limited due to a variety of reasons. The important mobile application markets like Android and Apple iTunes for iOS devices have strict policies on display advertising. They do not allow applications which use large screen space for advertising, since they cause screen clutter and interference in application functionality. Display advertising on mobile devices is generally shown on small strips either at the bottom or top of the application, or notification areas of the mobile device screen. This technique has a limited effect on the end user due to a small screen size and thus has limited the revenue generation through these ads. There have been many attempts to work around this limitation, but none of the designs have overcome this constraint.
Accordingly, there is a need for mobile applications which can display advertisements on a larger screen space without worrying about screen clutter or interference with application functionality.